People, like ponds....

People, like ponds, have mud. Go deep enough and you can scoop a huge handful of the nasty squishy stuff.
  Like ponds, some people are shallow with a lot of mud, and others are deep with a little mud.
 Like ponds, a lot of people have dried up spiritually because of a lack of rain....or like other ponds, some people may be spiritually overflowing because of an overflow of rain.

Yes there is a point to this. Bear with me please.

People, like ponds, reflect the enviroment around them. Either a reflection of the sunny blue sky, or a reflection of trash floating in the water and oil darkening the water's surface.

What does your pond look like?
Is it calm and serene, or is it dark and cloudy? is it muddy or is it filled full of fresh water refreshing to drink and spash in?

Your pond represents your life.
The mud is past sins, regrets, mistakes, failures, baggage of all kinds and sorts and sizes. Like when your friend spoke sharply to you and treated you unfairly? that's mud: If you hold onto it that is... and trust me, you don't have to.
 However, what most people don't want to recognize is that oftentimes, the mud is things we do to others too. Like when you disrespected your parents or lied to your sibling or took something without asking. That kind of mud will hang around until you go to the Lord and to those you've hurt and ask forgiveness. That forgiveness is like water from the faucet, washing all the icky goo from your hands and body.
Another thing most don't want to recognize, is that in order to get 'washed' in forgiveness, they mush 'wash' others in forgiveness first. Otherwise, they won't get it from the LORD.

Recall to memory the story of the adulturous woman. Yeshua said, 'let those who have commited no sin cast the first stone.' This was because in the Torah, only innocent witnesses were to be accepted as witnesses...and there had to be at least two. Because the pharisees were not innocent, they could not legally throw the first stone. They looked nice, but were like whitewashed tombs...full of dead men's bones on the inside.
The reason I bring this up? the way I word it is, 'don't judge another man's pond before you check your own'.
 Consider this.
We have all been sinners. How can we judge another on a matter if we have done it ourselves? or if we are still active in that sin? We are, in fact, not to judge anyone at all, except ourselves and our own hearts.

Sometimes God uses other people as His 'shovel' to dig out the mud that lies deep within you. But the more you fight Him, the more it will hurt you. Like knocking the edges off of a block of rock. I don't imagine that would feel too good! but if we are to be of any use, we must go through it and let Him take us through with flying colors.

if another has wronged you, forgive them. Don't let the mud cloud up the water in your pond. If you let it, you won't be able to reflect the sky anymore like you were created to do. Let the Master take the mud out. And when all the mud is gone, you are completed and you can go Home with Him. That makes me want to get all the mud out right now so I can go Home! but it's all in His timing.
 After you forgive another, then God will forgive you. Not until youforgive them though. God is loving but He is also just and true. He will not do somthing for you that you won't do for others.

Let God clean your pond. Then maybe the other pond will look at your pond and want the same thing. THEN you have progress. But it starts with you.

The Lord has set before you life and death. Which will you choose? Forgiveness and life? or bitterness which will lead to the death of your spiritual soul?

People, like ponds....
What does your pond look like?